


Legend of Cao Leirong - The Warrior Unleashed

by lorakintas



Series: Legend of Cao Leirong [2]
Category: San Guo Yan Yi | Romance of the Three Kingdoms - Luo Guanzhong, Shin Sangokumusou | Dynasty Warriors
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-26 09:00:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30103521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lorakintas/pseuds/lorakintas
Summary: Cao Leirong steps into the battlefield with her husband to protect Wei and achieve her brother's dreams.
Relationships: Xiahou Dun/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Legend of Cao Leirong [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2214366
Kudos: 1





	1. Stopping the Hero of Chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cao Leirong tries to stop her brother's rampage after the death of their father.

In the cold night, my husband and I warm ourselves up in our cosy living room. Xiahou Dun sits on the couch while I think of a plan on the table. Although we may be warm on the outside, inside we were dreading the massacre that my brother could be making once we leave our base. 

“My love, are you sure you must stop our lord?” Asks Xiahou Dun. 

“Him liking it or not, I must act as his voice of reason at this moment,” I affirm. “If he can’t control himself, I will control him.” 

“But he is-” 

“It doesn’t matter if he is our leader.” 

I get out of the table and sit next to him. “You will help me... right?” I ask. Dun sighs. 

“You already know I’m conflicted about this,” says Dun. “I want to let my lord follow his ambition. I don’t want you to dominate him and take over the throne.” 

“I don’t want to take over him. I want to help him. What he will do won’t help us. He’ll be known as another Dong Zhuo if he does what he’s planning to do.” 

“I know.” My beloved caresses my face. 

“I will follow you. We will stop him together,” says Dun with a warm voice. 

“Thank you, darling,” I reply as I caress his beard. We cuddle on the couch and fall asleep. 

I wake up the next morning laying on him. I cautiously leave the couch to not wake him up. He snores loudly. I leave the house and meet Guo Jia outside his house. 

“Master Guo Jia! Do you have a moment to talk?” I ask him. 

“Is it important?” he asks me back. 

“It’s confidential. I would prefer if we talk somewhere private.” 

“Sure. Please, come in.” 

Guo Jia and I sit at a table in his simple, yet pretty living room. I feel concerned about what he would think of my idea to deviate from my brother. 

“I want to talk about Xu province. You know my brother will murder everyone on his way. Will you follow him being aware of that?” 

“I don’t a choice,” he confesses to me. “If I don’t follow him, he could fire me, or worse, execute me.” 

“Please, Guo Jia, come with me! You and my husband are the only ones whom I can really rely on to stop him!” 

“You and your husband will not have any consequences if you interrupt your brother; you are related to our leader, and Xiahou Dun is the man he loves the most. Everyone else would die. I’m sorry.” 

“I see. Thank you regardless for listening to me, my lord.” 

I go back to our home. With my husband now awake, I sit next to him and lie my head on his shoulder. I sigh. 

“What happened?” he asks me. 

“Guo Jia can’t help us,” I tell my man. “Dian Wei is out of the question. There is only one thing we can do. We need to form an alliance with Liu Bei.” 

“What?!” 

“We don’t stand a chance against Cao Cao by ourselves. We must use Liu Bei’s army to weaken my brother’s army. Then we may fight him without dying.” 

“I don’t trust Liu Bei.” 

“I want to give him a chance. I heard great things about him.” 

“I will go with you regardless. But now, I will go train your brother’s army.” 

“I will be there soon. I will write a letter to Liu Bei now. And before you go, keep all of this a secret, please.” 

“Yes, my lady.” 

My husband leaves our home. I call one of my servants. She greets me. “Send this letter to our informant and tell him to send it to Master Liu Bei,” I demand. The servant rushes to the door with my letter. 

I join my husband and my brother in the training area. 

“What took you so long to come?” Cao Cao asks. 

“My apologies, my lord, “I had an emergency,” I explain to him. “You can go back to the throne.” 

“We’ll depart in three days. Be prepared.” 

Cao Cao leaves the area. Xiahou Dun looks at me. “Did you send it,” he asks me. 

“We will talk about this later,” I tell him. “We should focus on the troops now.” 

In the afternoon of the next day, we’re outside of Xuchang. Xiahou Dun is practicing his archery skills. I watch him while sitting on the grass and holding Mao on my arms. I look at Mao’s eyes, that resemble my father’s eyes. 

“Father... Is this you again but as our own creation?” I ask out loud. 

Xiahou Dun stops his practice. “You’re going insane, my lady,” he says with unintentional sincerity. 

“I miss my father. My brother and I rarely visited him once we left Qiao.” 

“I understand that. I didn’t mean to be mean to you, but we must move on.” 

“Yes. We must move forward to make a world where our children can live in peace. A world of ambition and talent without bloodshed and tears. I hope our son gets to see that world one day.” 

A messenger runs towards us. I get up out of the ground. “My lady! Liu Bei has accepted your alliance! He ordered you to meet his forces in Xiaopei!” 

I sigh with relief. “Thank goodness! Well, then. We shall do our plan.” 

Two days pass. It’s a brightly lit night full of stars in Dingtao. Total silence rules the place. My husband and I are pretending to be asleep in our tent. He turns his head to me. 

“Ready? He asks whispering. 

I nod yes. I slowly push the cloth of the tent and see if there’s anyone around. 

“Okay, we’ll head to the stables. Let’s go,” I tell Dun. 

We quietly walk around the town. We quickly come to the stable. When we’re about to hop on our horses, a guard spots us. He directly flashes his lantern at us. 

“My lady? What you’re doing here?” the guard asks. 

“It’s nothing important,” I answer. “We will go horse-riding around the area. Have a moment for us two.” 

“Understood. Take care, my lady. And you too, my lord.” 

“And please, open the gates for us quietly, for the sake of everyone.” 

“Yes, my lady.” 

The guards open the gate. We drag our horses to the exit. Once we’re far enough from the village, we hop on them. 

“That was easy,” I say with relief. 

“Your brother will be suspicious of us,” Dun states. 

“We have no choice but to move forward now. To Xiaopei!” 

As our horses start running, we hold our hands. He looks at me and smiles. I smile back. 

“We should do this more often,” I suggest. 

“We should indeed,” he agrees. “But now I only care about your safety. I’ll be by your side all the time throughout the battle. You’re the precious pearl that can’t be stolen.” 

Dun kisses my hand. My face turns red. I do a shy smile. My heart beats fast and my whole mind gets in some thrilling state. It’s the best feeling that can’t be explained well. I’m so grateful to have him by my side. 

When the sun starts rising, we finally reach the gates of Xiaopi. We approach the guards at the front. 

“We’re here to speak to Master Liu Bei,” I tell them. 

“Understood,” one of the guards says. They open the gate to let us enter. 

When we get inside, we see Liu Bei with Zhang Fei, Guan Yu and a face I’m not familiar with. Liu Bei greets us. 

“Master Cao Leirong, Master Xiahou Dun! I’m glad you joined us,” Liu Bei says. 

“Uh... I’m only here with you guys to defeat my brother,” I clarify. “That’s as far as our relationship goes.” 

“Yes, we comprehend that.” 

“And who are you, my lord?” I ask the mysterious man. 

“I’m Xu Shu,” he says. “I’m the strategist of Tao Qian’s allies. I’ve already planned our defence to weaken Cao Cao’s army.” 

“Where are we involved?” my husband asks. 

“You and your lady will garrison this castle. Master Zhang Fei will defend the southeastern bridge. The rest of us will be with Master Tao Qian in Xiapi. We will lure the enemy to our base and once we make a fire signal, you confront Cao Cao from behind,” Xu Shu tells him and I. 

“What if Cao Cao finds us here?” 

“You should join us in Xiapi in case the guards spot the army coming from the west.” 

“I don’t know... Something doesn’t feel right about this,” I tell the strategist. 

“I promise you this will work, my lady,” he reassures. 

“We will be departing now,” announces Liu Bei. “Please, do as you like here.” 

I thank them for their hospitality. Liu Bei’s army departs from the castle, leaving Xiahou Dun and I with a bunch of guards surrounding us. I get this feeling of unease as if we’ve fallen into a trap. 

“Now looking back at what I said about Liu Bei, I don’t trust these guys,” I confess to him. 

“Neither do I,” he agrees, “We should be proactive and face Cao Cao instead of following them.” 

“You mean, battling face to face? Two versus one?” 

“It’s what true warriors do. Aren’t you a real warrior?” 

“Yes, I am. I will face him with you. Screw Liu Bei and his shadiness.” 

“We should get some rest before Cao Cao shows up in the meantime.” 

“Indeed. I’m desperate for a nap.” 

We get inside one of the houses of the castle. We fall on the huge bed they have. 

“So, uh... good morning?” I ask with a smile. 

“Good morning, sweetheart,” Dun says before grinning. 

I quickly fall into a deep sleep. Finally, some peace in an imaginary world inside my brain. No more conflicts for a few hours. 

Suddenly, I feel deep cuts going through my flesh. I wake up screaming in pain. My husband picks up his podao from behind the bed and kills the assassin. 

“I’ll carry you to Cao Cao!” he desperately says. He carries me in his arms around the house, and once we’re outside, we find out we’re surrendered by Tao Qiao’s forces. 

“So, it worked,” Xu Shu says to himself. 

Xiahou Dun drops me behind him. 

“You... I knew you were plotting something. All of you will be dead today!” says Dun with immense rage. 

My husband charges towards Xu Shu’s army. He slays every single enemy he finds with such ease, it’s impressive to watch. It’s pure eye candy to watch him battle, and it’s a great distraction from the immense pain I’m having. 

Xiahou Dun reaches Xu Shu. “Fight me, you coward!” my husband yells. 

When he fights Xu Shu, screams are heard from outside the castle. “Cao Cao is coming!” the soldiers shout. 

“Open the gates!” Xu Shu orders. 

Cao Cao, Guo Jia and Dian Wei storm the castle. Xu Shu escapes from the castle after casting blinding magic on Dun. My husband picks me up again. Cao Cao spots us with the face of someone who just saw a loved one die in front of their eyes. 

“Quick! Get a horse!” Cao Cao yells with desperation. Dun rushes to the stables. He puts me in the front and he hops on the back. We depart to Dingtao. Not long after leaving the castle, I lose my consciousness. 

I then wake up in a bed. I don’t see anyone in the room. The wounds still hurt a lot, but at this point, that doesn’t matter. I’m grateful to be alive and to have someone that I can rely on in the worst moments. I just wish he was with me at this moment. 

And just when I wanted that, the door opens. It’s him. 

“My lady!” he yells with joy. He kneels next to me and caresses my hair. “I’m so glad you’re alive. I couldn’t afford to lose you,” he says while sobbing. 

“Thank you for protecting me, my lord,” I tell him. Cao Cao enters the room with Guo Jia and Dian Wei by his side. 

“Sister! I’m glad you’re doing well,” Cao Cao happily says out loud as he kneels next to Xiahou Dun and towards me. “Why were you in Xiaopei?!” 

“You were blinded by so much rage. I wanted to help you and stop you,” I explain. 

“Help me?!” 

“Revenge is pointless, brother. Our father would hate to see you slaughtering an entire province, He wanted us to be role models. Still, if you want to, you can kill us. This is what you wanted, right? To destroy anyone stopping you?” 

“It isn’t when it’s someone like you and Yuanrang. I’m sorry for everything. My stupidity made you and others get hurt.” 

“I forgive you, brother, as a sibling should.” 

A messenger suddenly shows up in the room. “My lord! Puyang has fallen to Lu Bu!” 

“That’s the last thing we needed right now,” Cao Cao says with disappointment. “Yuanrang, Fengxiao, Dian Wei, we must take it back now!” 

“Yes, my lord,” they reply. 

“My lady, a servant in the next room will take care of you,” Dun says before kissing me. “Take care, my lady.” The men leave the room. 

“Yuanrang... Mengde... Please be safe.”


	2. Foolish Karma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cao Leirong goes on her way to seek revenge for her wounds.

A few years pass. I survive the injuries and go back to fighting. My husband gets hit on the left eye by an arrow, but fortunately survives. Lu Bu and the Yuans are gone from this world. My brother’s army gets larger with new talented generals, most notably Zhang Liao. The feeling of an army capable of standing on its own is close to becoming reality. 

While we do get stronger, so do our rivals. My rival Liu Bei is getting similar levels of autonomy with Xu Shu on his side, and as he conquers more land, we may see a world with new leaders. That is, if we don’t stop them. 

Now that we’ve recovered from the causalities done by Lu Bu’s faction in Xiapi, we are ready to vanquish Liu Bei’s faction. Cao Cao, Xiahou Yuan, Xiahou Dun and I train the troops in the courtyard. A messenger comes with a message. 

“My lord! Liu Bei and Xu Shu are marching towards Xinye!” the messenger says out loud. 

“Perfect. That’s our chance to take them down,” my brother says. I grin and make a psychotic smile. 

“Uh... My lady? Your smile’s showing,” Yuan points out. 

“I know, I know,” I admit. I manically laugh and end up scaring everyone. 

“Something’s not right with you, my lady,” Yuan tells me frightened. 

“Everyone, do not get involved in this battle. This is my business,” I state. I call my horse and hop on it. 

“My lady! Wait!” my husband shouts. 

I quickly leave everyone behind on my way to Xu Shu and Liu Bei’s target. I suddenly remember that Xu Shu’s mother lives in a village nearby Xuchang. I change my direction to that village. 

Once I get there, I greet one of the guards at the entrance. 

“My lord, you know where Lady Shi is?” I ask the guard. 

“She’s in the last house heading west,” he informs. 

“Thank you. Would you please follow me?” 

“Yes, my lady.” 

We reach the front of her house after a bit of walking. “We will arrest her. No questions,” I clarify. 

I open the door. I find Xu Shu’s mother cooking. She looks at me and stops what she’s doing immediately. 

“My lady?!” she panics. 

“You’re coming with me. Surrender or die,” I tell her pointing one of my tridents to her face. 

“Yes, my lady! I’ll do anything for you!” 

“Arrest her. She’ll come with us to Xinye.” 

From the village, we head to Xinye. A long time later, we stopped outside the castle walls. When I think of a way to get into the castle, I see a huge army coming from afar. It’s my husband’s and my brother’s army. 

“What?!” I yell. “They’re not supposed to be here!” 

They stop their horses in front of us. They approach me. 

“Sister, what’s happening?!” my brother asks with frustration. 

“It’s none of your business,” I reply with bitterness. 

“Your recklessness is unacceptable. And who’s this lady?” 

“Xu Shu’s mother. We will use her as bait for him to pursue us.” 

“Hmph. Your true colours are showing, sister.” 

A fire sign lights up from the top of the castle. “They’ve noticed us! Release the catapults,” orders Cao Cao. The catapults start launching rocks towards the gates. Eventually, the gates break and we infiltrate the castle. I bring Xu Shu’s mom with me. 

Inside, I find Xu Shu with a small army in the center of the castle. We walk towards him. 

“We meet again, Master Xu Shu,” I tell him while holding her mother from behind. 

“Mother?!” Xu Shu yells with shock. 

“She wanted to visit you, so I brought her with me.” 

I pull out one of my tridents. I put it below the woman’s chin. 

“Let go of her!” Xu Shu demands. 

“Hah, as if I will,” I dismiss him. “Remember when one of your men stabbed me? This is how it felt like.” 

I raise my weapon. Xu Shu gasps. 

“Leirong, stop!” my husband angrily demands. 

I stab his mother on her back and on her neck. She spills blood everywhere. She gasps for air and coughs blood for a few seconds until she is totally still on the ground. 

Xu Shu falls on his knees. He intensely cries over his mother’s death he just witnessed in front of him. 

“Please, don’t kill me! I surrender! I swear to my life I will not help Liu Bei anymore!” he desperately yells to us. 

“It’s too late now,” I reply. “It’s time for your doom!” 

I rush to Xu Shu to stab him. I jump and point my tridents at his body. “Die!” I shout. Cao Cao catches up to me and blocks my attack. We parry face to face. 

“Get out of my way, brother!” I yell at Cao Cao. 

“You’re out of control, Leirong! We can use him to our advantage!” Cao Cao yells to me. 

“He hurt me and all of us. He doesn’t deserve another chance.” 

“We don’t need more pointless killing! Don’t you remember what you told me?!” 

I gasp, realising the atrocity I just committed to someone’s loved one. I let my guard down. 

“Right. We can take him to Xuchang,” I suggest Cao Cao. 

Cao Cao approaches Xu Shu. 

“I accept your surrender. I have one question for you. Where is Liu Bei?” he asks Xu Shu. 

“He fled. He headed south,” he replied with fear. 

“I see. We will take him down another time. Guards, take him to Xuchang. Everyone, go back to our base as well.” 

As Cao Cao’s troops retreat, I stand completely still and perplexed by what just happened. I can’t believe I am capable of acting that way and do what I did to Xu Shu’s mother. Revenge, one of the things I actively fought against, took over me for a moment. 

Xiahou Dun approaches me from behind. “My lady?” he asks. 

I gasp and turn to him. He looks concerned. I try to say something, but I fall into tears and cry over his armour while he hugs me. 

“I’m sorry you had to witness my monstrosity,” I tell him while sobbing. “I didn’t know I could get to this point. Do you forgive me, my lord?” 

“Our demons can take over us sometimes,” he says. “I know you’re much better than that.” 

“I promise I won’t do such a thing again.” 

“No promises needed.” 

We ride our horses on our way to Xuchang. In our way, I feel like the biggest hypocrite and the biggest monster in our land. I will never forget what I had done. Does my husband even truly forgive me? Does he truly know me? Do I even know myself well? These are questions that will be on top of my head for a long time.


	3. In Flames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cao Leirong and others go on combat against Wu and Shu at Chibi. She faces Zhuge Liang at a temple.

It’s 208. My brother’s army is stronger than ever before. We virtually possess the whole north of China. Our dreams of a united land of ambition slowly become reality. Our next step is to conquer the southern part of the land. 

Unfortunately, Sun Quan and Liu Bei have become allies and refuse to surrender. We don’t have a choice but attack the alliance by force on our naval border. 

In the strategy room, Xu Shu, my husband, my brother and I think of a plan to take down Sun Quan and Liu Bei’s army. 

“Our army heavily outnumbers the alliance’s army. They don’t stand a chance against us,” Cao Cao says. “We also have Jianye to depart our ships to Chibi.” 

“My lord, our troops are exhausted from Jianye,” Xu Shu points out. “We better recruit more naval troops in our naval bases before attacking them.” 

“What we have is already enough. Our troops can adapt themselves to the sea. I need all troops to be set for battle in two days.” 

“Brother, you should listen to what our strategist says,” I suggest. 

“Silence!” my brother angrily shouts at us. “These are my orders. Those who not follow them will meet their fate with my sword.” 

Cao Cao leaves the room, leaving us with an unsettling vibe. 

“My lady, I apologise for making your brother furious,” Xu Shu says. 

“It’s nothing. It’s a Cao thing. We are all very emotional,” I clarify. 

“Even if we question our lord’s intentions, we should stay loyal to him,” my husband says to us. “I will follow him until the end comes.” 

“I will follow his ambition, but not his stupidity,” I tell them. “But I think I have already deviated from him long enough. This time, I will do my best to be alongside him.” 

I take advantage of the moment and ask my husband to leave for a moment. He leaves us with just me and Xu Shu in the room. 

“My lord... I want to apologise for what I had done to your mother,” I tell him. “It’s something I did that I deeply regret.” 

Xu Shu gasps. He blankly stares at the table for a few seconds. 

“My lady, I don’t think I’ll ever get over it,” he admits. “But I know you have a good heart. That is something I highly appreciate.” 

“So, you’re still angry with me?” 

“I’m not. What you did was what you thought was right to do at that moment. I don’t blame you. I don’t want us to be rivals. I want us to be friendly with each other at a minimum. 

“Really? I’m thankful for that. Would you like to drink some tea in the garden?” 

“Sure, my lady.” 

We head to the garden. We spend a good amount of time appreciating the vivid sky and the blossoming flowers. I come up with a question for Xu Shu. 

“Master Xu Shu, about the time an assassin tried to kill me and you made an ambush... Did you really want to do that to us?” I ask. 

“I do what I’m told to do,” Xu Shu clarifies. “If we had a choice, we wouldn’t have done it. Liu Bei is a great man, but back then he was under the control of Tao Qian, and he wanted any Cao dead. We had to obey his orders.” 

“I understand. I want to believe in you, and I will, for now.” 

“For that, I thank you, my lady.” 

We toast. It seems to me I’m building a friendship with a former enemy. I’m quite proud of myself for finally keeping my emotions in order. 

After spending time with Xu Shu, I come home. I open the door, and I see my husband laying on the couch posing on his underwear with candles on and wine on the table. I gasp with happiness. 

“I’ve been waiting for you, my dear,” he says with a seductive voice. He gets up from the couch and caresses my face. 

“I didn’t know you were doing this,” I say. 

“You weren’t supposed to know.” 

He grabs my back and my legs and walks back to the couch with me in his arms. I sit next to him. He gives us cups of wine. 

“We’ve been too busy fighting with others lately. I want to be with you now,” Dun says. 

“My brother just won’t stop making us busy,” I point out. “And just now I was with Xu Shu.” 

“You’re now friends with the one who stabbed you, huh?” 

“Life’s funny. I want us to be united. The last thing we need is an internal conflict in our army.” 

“I know. But forget about your brother, your friend, our army, everything, and don’t forget me.” 

I hop on his lap. I wrap my arms around his shoulders and look at his beautiful light brown eyes. 

“I never ever forget you,” I whisper. We make out and fall to the floor while doing it. We make love blossom that night. 

Two days pass, and we’re on our way to Chibi. My brother was right, our ships are so massive and full of soldiers, I never thought it would be possible to have such a formation. Maybe we will definitely end this war this time. 

“Chibi is in our view, forward!” Cao Cao orders. 

As we approach Chibi, I see someone suspicious in Liu Bei’s forces. I decide to question Xu Shu about him. 

“Xu Shu, is that the Sleeping Dragon?” I ask. 

“Indeed, it’s him,” he confirms. 

“What is he doing there?” 

“He’s probably doing some sort of ritual. 

“We need to stop him. I’ll go ahead to the exit.” 

“He is too dangerous, my lady. We better deal with Sun Quan’s weaker forces first.” 

“No, we need to stop the sorcery now.” 

Before running to the exit, I stop and turn around to the strategist. 

“Xu Shu, please keep everyone safe,” I requested. 

“I will do my best, my lady,” he promises. 

I head to the exit. Soon, the ship docks. 

“Everyone, forward!” I demand from my army. My soldiers head towards Liu Bei, while I make my way to Zhuge Liang, slaying every enemy in front of me. I find him in a small temple that seemed to be cheaply and temporarily made. Inside, he performs his sorcery. 

“Zhuge Liang, it’s time to go to sleep!” I yell to him. 

“Nice joke,” he says, “but you can’t defeat me.” 

“We’ll see about that.” 

I charge and jump on Zhuge Liang with my twin tridents. Out of nowhere, he pulls out a strong gust of wind out of his hands. He smashes me to the ceiling and I fall to the ground. I stand up in pain. 

“Is that all you’ve got?!” I shout at him. 

I charge to the pot building the sorcery. He instantly creates an impenetrable barrier. 

“This is not fair!” 

“Resistance is futile,” he says. The big pot explodes and exiles incredibly strong winds. 

“You’re a demon, Zhuge Liang,” 

“You still have much to learn before you can face my power. Besides, if I were you, I would worry about something else. Look behind you.” 

I turn around and see huge ships with explosives heading towards our ships. I leave the temple and run as fast as I can to our ships, but it’s too late. The ships collide. Fire explosions dominate the scenery. It would be a spectacle if it weren’t a disaster. 

“I need to find them fast!” I say it out loud to myself. I run even faster to rescue my loved ones. I enter the ships and dodge the flames, looking for someone. In the second ship, I find Xu Shu in flames. 

“Xu Shu! Hang in there!” I yell at him in desperation. I grab a stringed bucket of water and throw it at him. Although it clears the flames on him, he lies on the floor and barely moves. I cry in front of him. 

“Xu Shu... I’m so sorry.” 

“Your husband and brother are safe. Go, my lady. Your men need you,” he says before coughing to death. 

I run to the exit and hop on a boat to a road heading to Xuchang. I desperately ride my horse in the middle of a gloomy night, hoping my loved ones are safe there. Once I finally arrive at Xuchang, I get news from a messenger. “My lady, Master Cao Cao is badly injured in his house!” 

I rush to see my brother. At his house, I go to his bedroom. I see him with a lot of burns on his skin. 

“Brother!” I scream with tears in my eyes as I get on my knees and cover my face. 

“Sister, I’m glad to see you,” Cao Cao says quietly. 

“What did the doctor say?” 

“I will be fine. Don’t worry about me. But you and everyone else will have to be my arms in battle.” 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save you and the others, brother.” 

“It’s my fault. I should’ve listened to Xu Shu. Even with this defeat, though, we will rise again, I promise.” 

“I hope so, brother.” 

I hold his hand in relief that although he may not battle with us anymore, he may one day accomplish our dream.


	4. A Vision Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cao Leirong goes to battle at Wuzhang. Cao Cao's health gets worse, and an eye gets lost.

Years pass by. Liu Bei makes a campaign to take over Hanzhong. They go on their way to strike us when Cao Cao’s health is quickly declining. My brother decides to make my husband the commander of this counterattack and to let Guo Jia makes our strategy. Our son and Xiahou Yuan’s child are ready to have their debut on the battlefield. 

At Xuchang, before leaving for Hanzhong, we prepare the troops to depart. Xiahou Ba and Xiahou Mao have a chat. Xiahou Dun and I observe them from afar. 

“Aren’t they cute?” I gush at them. 

“They’re just distracting themselves while they can,” my husband says. “Yuan and I will pull their ears.” 

Xiahou Dun approaches the boys with Yuan to prepare them for battle. I turn around and see my brother in a wheelchair. He seems to have his skin pale and his eyes reddened. I walk to him. 

“Brother? Weren’t you supposed to be in bed?” I ask him. 

“I should at least watch you before you’re gone,” he says. 

My brother suddenly coughs intensely. 

“My lord! I think I should not go and take care of you instead.” I suggest. 

“No, my lady,” Cao Cao denies, “You should go defend our land. Do it for me. For us. We rely on you.” 

Cao Cao coughs more. I have the feeling he won’t last much longer in our world. 

“Please, my lord, take care of yourself,” I say with a concerned, sad look. 

I mount my horse and head to the front near my husband and my son. Dun raises his sword “Forward, to Hanzhong!” he yells. We depart to that area. 

Halfway through our trip, we split into two teams. Zhang He, Xiahou Yuan and Xiahou Ba head west to Baxi to take control of the territory while Xiahou Dun, Mao and I head south to set a camp at Zouma Valley to take down Liu Bei. 

After a long travel, we settle there. We build our camp with our soldiers. As I build the bonfire, I observe my husband helping the others build the other tents. He finds me looking at him from a distance and smiles at me. I smile back and I feel my heart so warm, just for seeing him being such a humble, generous man to our son and to our army. It seems like I find a new excuse to be my soulmate every day. 

Later, the moonlight shines bright. Most of the soldiers are resting. I call my son and husband to gather around the bonfire. I set fire and we toast meat with our sticks. 

“I’ve been wanting to do this for so long,” I comment. 

“Having a moment like this when we could get captured by the enemy anytime doesn’t seem to be the wisest thing to do, mother,” my son says. 

“The enemy can attack us anytime regardless,” my husband clarifies. “We only need to defend ourselves while we’re vulnerable.” 

“Yes, father. I’m just anxious to have a real battle,” my son says. 

I suddenly hear horse steps coming from somewhere. 

“You’re hearing something?” I ask my husband. 

“They’re coming,” he affirms while we get up and pick up our weapons. 

“Finally, my moment of glory!” Mao says with enthusiasm. 

Suddenly, a flame arrow attack burns our camp from one side. “Hey there, boy!” an old man shouts from the sky. My son turns around and the man shoots an arrow towards him. 

“No!” I yell as I jump in front of my son. The arrow hits my right eye. I fall to the ground with immense pain. 

“My lady!” Dun yells with desperation as he slays the ambush soldiers, “Hold on!” 

“Mother, let me help you!” Mao desperately says. 

“Leave me alone! Go fight the others first!” I demand. 

Both men slay the soldiers that attack our camp, while the old man flees the scene. They come to my rescue. 

“My lady! I’ll pull it out for you!” Dun says. 

“No,” I deny. “I should do it myself.” 

I pull my right eye out of my face with such a loud scream, my brother maybe could hear me from afar. Vivid blood comes out of the hole, and that one white globe is now gone from my body. A part of the world is gone to me. 

“Zilin, call a medic from my cousin’s camp, now!” he demands. 

“Yes, my lord!” Mao says before rushing to Xiahou Yuan for help. 

Dun holds my hand and cleans the blood around my wound with his other hand. 

“My love... That was the bravest thing I’ve ever seen,” he says. 

“I had no choice,” I say. “Now we will share our vision, for the sake of our son and our land.” 

“I’m so proud of you.” 

Dun wraps me in his arms and we intensely kiss each other as it starts raining. Mao and Yuan show up with a medic and a chariot. 

“My lady! You should retreat!” Yuan says, “Get in there!” 

“I will retreat to Xuchang with her,” my husband affirms. “I believe I can trust you with handling Liu Bei.” 

“Yes, my lord,” Yuan confirms, “We will take down Liu Bei for you.” 

“Zilin, you go fight with Miocao and Zhongquan!” Liu Bei demands from our son. 

“Yes, my lord! I’ll make you proud!” Mao promises. 

We depart from Hanzhong to the safety of our base. In our way home, I lay on Dun’s lap and I stare at him from below. The medic cleanses my wound and closes the gap of the wound with a needle. He puts an eyepatch on my right eye. Now my husband and I are even. I will be his vision while he will be mine. I can see his joy in looking half-blind like him with how he pets my hair and smiles when I look at him with my other eye. 

Once we finally come to Xuchang, I visit my brother with my partner. We see him sicker than before, barely being able to breathe and with strange spots on his skin. 

“Brother! What’s happening?!” I ask him with concern as I hold his hand and my husband comforts me from behind. 

“It’s over for me, my lady,” he says. 

“No! We need you to rule Wei!” 

“Cao Leirong, you will guide the rest to the path to victory. I believe in you. There is only one thing left for me to do in this world.” 

Cao Cao stares at Xiahou Dun. 

“Xiahou Dun... Kiss me,” he demands. 

My husband acts hesitant to do it. I nod my head to let him go for it. My husband gently puts his knee on Cao Cao’s bed, puts his hand below my brother’s head and makes out with him. I watch with a sense of disbelief and relief because I never imagined my husband enjoying being with another man, and I’m also glad to make my brother’s wish come true. 

My husband eventually lets Cao Cao go. He falls flat on his bed. It turns out that was a kiss of death. We cry as the sunlight calls him to go to heaven, where I hope he will be treated well and watch us from above. 

We go back to our house. Dun and I have a conversation on the couch. 

“So, you really loved him?” I ask him. 

“I did,” he confesses. “We were secretly together before you and I became an item. I didn’t cheat, I promise,” he says. 

“I know you didn’t. I’m happy he got to have one last kiss. And now the land is ours. We can do anything we wish!” 

“And what’s your wish?” 

I stare intensely at Dun and smile. 

“Take Shu down with our own hands.”


End file.
